Early Childhood Education

With the need for improved student performance, the shortage of teachers and our nation’s focus on educational issues, these are exciting and challenging times in teacher education. College of Charleston education majors become leaders in the profession under the guidance of a diverse, talented and experienced faculty. Our graduates embark upon rewarding teaching careers where they make a difference in the lives of others.

You can teach. The state of South Carolina has reciprocity agreements with many states, so your horizons are unlimited. Also, early childhood education is a critical needs area in South Carolina.

Our graduates are actively recruited by districts within the state as well as by those in surrounding states.

Your degree and certification can also be a solid steppingstone to careers in education administration, orother areas of early childhood education, if that is where your interests lie.

College of Charleston Advantages:

We offer a major and teacher preparation program specifically in early childhood education (pre-K through grade 3).
Our education graduates are highly respected for their knowledge, skills and dispositions.
The four semester program provides carefully designed course work and supervised public school experiences.
The curriculum in the first three semesters integrates course work with field work. During those three semesters, students will experiences in urban, suburban, and rural school settings.
During the last semester, students will complete clinical training under the supervision of a teacher trained in the South Carolina Teacher Evaluation System (ADEPT).
Our students’ scores on the PRAXIS II exams are above the state and national averages.
Our teacher education programs are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Active Learning Experiences

Field experiences

You’ll engage in three separate field experiences in each of your first three semesters in the program. You’ll have the opportunity to experience the unique challenges and rewards offered by different schools and their student populations. The Charleston School District includes small fishing communities, cities, affluent suburbs and rural farm areas. Dorchester and Berkeley counties to the west encompass additional diverse communities.

Clinical practice (student teaching)

During your final semester you’ll teach full time in a classroom and assume all of the responsibilities of a professional teacher. During those 15 weeks, you’ll be supervised, guided and supported by your cooperating teacher and your college faculty advisor.

Kappa Delta Pi

Our chapter of the international education honor society has more than 100 members. Junior and senior education majors and minors with an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher are eligible for membership.

South Carolina Student Education Association S-SCEA is the student branch of the South Carolina Education Association. Pre-professional workshops and conferences, professional development activities, information and assistance regarding professional certification requirements, and leadership skills training are among the services available to members.

South Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children
The student chapter of SCAEYC (a state affiliate of the largest professional organization for those who work with children from birth through third grade) facilitates collaboration, professional development, and advocacy for issues important to the welfare and education of young children.

Learning Resources

School of Education, Health, and Human Performance Building. This three-story, 30,000-square-foot structure houses faculty offices, multiple resource centers, conference rooms and specialized ancillary spaces.

Charles and Andrea Volpe Center for Teaching and Learning features state-of-the-art resources for teacher-education faculty and students.

Office of Certification and Clinical Practice assigns faculty advisors to education majors or minors and places students in clinical practice experiences with teachers in local school districts.

South Carolina Accelerated Schools Plus (SCASP). Members of the SCASP team offer training, network meetings, site visits and access to national Accelerated Schools plus resources to participating schools. The SCASP is a comprehensive approach to school change, designed to improve schooling for all children, especially those in “at-risk” situations.

Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) is a learning laboratory and preschool for children ages two through five. Graduate and undergraduate classes in education and psychology use ECDC as an observation site.

Memminger Partnership.The Charleston County School District and the School of Education work cooperatively with a local elementary school to maximize the use of resources and improve results for its students and for novice teachers enrolled in our teacher-education programs.

The Lowcountry Hall of Science and Math is comprised of four program offices: Charleston Math and Science Hub, Master of Education in Science and Math for Teachers, Project Oceanica, and The Southeast Regional Clearinghouse (SERCH). These programs are designed to improve involvement of scientists and mathematicians with educators from kindergarten through graduate school.